Waiting For You
by Blueriinnaa
Summary: Before they commenced for their Tartaros adventure, Gray and Lucy confessed their feelings for each other. However, after the mission, Gray left Lucy without a realistic hint. What lies ahead of them? [Rated K-plus for language. Inspired by the subtle Gray x Lucy moment during the Avatar arc]


Foreword

-Hello everyone! I made this Gray x Lucy oneshot on a whim, after suddenly reading some GrayLu fanfictions lol. Although I'm a huge Natsu x Lucy shipper, I once shipped GrayLu too so yeah, I decided to write this. I plan to write a NaLu oneshot too in the future, and hopefully I can finish it just like this one haha.

I mostly based this fic on the Tartaros and Avatar arc, and there are a lot of alterations and changes that I made in the storyline. And I apologize in advance if I put some wrong information. There are parts, though, that I wrote what really happened in the original story, so this is a spoiler alert as well, for those who haven't finished Fairy Tail yet. (peace!)

WARNING: Gruvia and pure NaLu fans are 'strongly' not allowed to read this fic, unless you want to hurt your feelings or get mad, lol. (peace yow!)

**T his is **_**one**__**hell of a long**_** oneshot**, but I hope you will read throughout and enjoy this story. You are very welcome to leave a comment! Arigatou gozaimasu!

**I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL AND THE CHARACTERS. THEY ALL BELONG TO HIRO MASHIMA.**

* * *

Lucy was walking around the central town of Magnolia. As usual, she was getting inspiration for her next article. And it can't be helped, because she saw a lot of couples _loitering_ in town too.

_Damn couples…but of course, it's Sunday, _she thought bitterly, and a wave of loneliness reigned on her chamber of emotions.

This brought back a certain memory – when she and her boyfriend had their first ever and apparently, "last" date after just becoming a couple. And it even happened on the day before their dreaded fight against the evil guild, Tartaros, which consisted of "demons" instead of their usual enemy wizards. And that boyfriend? It's no other than Gray Fullbuster.

***FLASHBACK***

Lucy promised herself that she would definitely confess her built-up romantic feelings for the ice-make wizard once everything with Tartaros was settled. Ever since their Galuna island mission, she became curious and concerned about him, until she became attached to him. She never expected to go beyond and fall in love, but it happened. She could've asked Natsu for some good information, but knowing him, she wouldn't get satisfying answers.

And so she decided to ask Erza about Gray's love life, since they were childhood friends too. Unfortunately, she was kind of rejected right away, as Erza answered, "Oh, Gray? Does that guy even fall in love? A lot of girls had already confessed to him, but he turned them down. But I've gotta give it to Juvia. She still clings onto him even though he's rejected her many times already. Though I think he has a thing for strong women, so maybe Juvia has a chance. Why'd you ask?"

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to know about his love affairs." Lucy answered in a nervous tone.

Erza smiled with a tease. "Don't tell me you like Gray too?"

"N-no! It's not like that, Erza!" she defended, but her face was beet red.

"Really? Well, he's at least saner that Natsu, so I wouldn't be surprised if you actually came to like him." she replied with a chuckle, and Lucy laughed a little.

"And besides, you're a strong girl too. So who knows?" Erza added, smiling. Lucy couldn't help but blush.

"But you're strong too, Erza."

"He doesn't like strong girls of my category. Have you forgotten that he's even scared of me?"

"Oh…"

"…and my heart belongs to someone already, ever since I was young. That will never change." She said with a yearning voice.

"Could that be…Jellal?"

Erza was silent, but she gave her a small smile. "I'd love to chat with you more Lucy, but I forgot I had an appointment with the blacksmith today. He's extremely impatient, so I gotta go." She said, lightly tapping her shoulder.

"Oh, one more thing. Gray doesn't usually express himself, but I saw him do it. And it involved you." She said, smiling softly.

When Erza left, Lucy gave in to her sad expression. Her heart fell to pieces. _Fuck, Juvia has a chance, because surely Gray would give in soon._ She thought, and then she sighed in defeat. But what Erza just said kept bugging her. Maybe she also has a chance, then? She turned to the direction where Gray was, and he was having a good laugh with the others, and Juvia was beside him. Indeed, it was a hopeless case for her, so she settled on loving him silently. _Maybe Erza was just imagining things_, she thought.

And because this feeling was new to her, she can't keep calm around him so she kept her distance. She confided herself to Natsu, because she felt comfortable around him. At first, she really thought that she'd probably fall for him, since he's a nice guy; even though he's so dense. But surprisingly, she didn't. Instead, he became her first guy-best friend.

Overall, she was happy, contented and thankful that she was teammates with Gray because that meant more time to be with him. But on the long run, she couldn't bear to keep it to herself anymore. It was high-time that the guy knew how she felt about him. Though, she was completely unaware that the tables were going to be flipped.

* * *

It was one of those ordinary nights, and Lucy was busy keeping all of her writing materials and written pieces on a cabinet so that _nobody_ would ever get their hands on them again, except her. Suddenly, she heard a knock on her door, and she thought that it was probably her landlady, who would remind her again that it was almost time for her to pay her rent.

_What a weird time for her to come though,_ she thought. Still, she went down with her usual pace, but as she opened the door, she didn't expect who was standing there.

It was Gray Fullbuster himself.

Strange, isn't it? He would usually just barge in and plop at the sofa, then look at her table to see if there would be a pile of papers. If confirmed, he would surely get those and read them, of which it was supposed to be a "taboo", according to Lucy, because they were unfinished writings yet and it smears the author's so-called _dignity_. But Gray didn't listen and would continue to read them anyway.

Lucy's eyes widened and her mouth fell open for a second. However, she was quick to return back to normal. Gray was looking at her with serious yet affectionate eyes, and it made her heart flutter. She couldn't understand what was happening.

"Gray…? W-what brings you here late at night?" she asked, a little antsy.

He didn't answer. He was still looking at her, as if she was searching for her heart and soul. It made Lucy feel embarrassed, so she quickly shook off that feeling and attempted to erase the awkward situation.

"What's with that kind of stare, Gray? Are you drunk or something?"

Still, he remained silent, and it made the atmosphere more awkward. Nevertheless, she continued talking. "Oh! If you're here to read my "unfinished" papers then sorry, I cannot allow you do to that anymore. And what's with you, knocking all of a sudden—"

"Lucy."

Gray cut her off, and her mouth snapped shut.

"…what is it, Gray? You're making me nervous…"

"Go out with me." He said with a smug look on his face, but his eyes radiated with fondness. And after a few moments, a light blush crept up his cheeks.

Lucy was speechless. Her brain couldn't fully process what he just said. Her heart was beating so fast. In short, her whole system was on alert level 1000. She couldn't believe what just went out of the guy's lips. She couldn't believe at the way he was looking at her.

"G-go out…? As in you want me to accompany you right now?" she asked, obviously trying to assume that it wasn't what she was thinking, like in a _romantic way_.

"Don't play dumb, Lucy. You know what I mean…" he said, slightly nervous and worried at the same time.

Lucy fell silent once again. _I really can't believe this! Did -the Gray-, who is really popular among girls but seems to be the type who isn't into romance and stuff, just…confess to me!? Is the sun going to set in the West this time? _she thought, panicking a bit. But words and phrases like "requited love", "luck" and many other shits related to love continued to fill her mind and it made her blush hard.

Gray, who was slightly getting impatient on observing her silence for who knows how many minutes now, spoke up. "Oi…Lucy. If you're not yet ready then—"

"W-wait…! Who said I wasn't ready? Of course I would love to go out with you, Gray! Y-you have no idea how long I've been in love …with you and… I was planning to confess to you as soon as everything's settled, even if I know that you're going to reject me…" she answered softly, her cheeks turning pink. She then covered her flushed face with her hands to hide her embarrassment.

"I just—"

But before she could continue, Gray pulled her to himself for a hug.

"…Idiot. How _could_ you say that I don't feel the same way towards you?" he asked in a low voice.

"W-well…you seem to be equally nice to all… and just like what I said earlier, you have that vibe where you don't care about love. Also, Juvia really likes you and I have the feeling that she might be your type after all, and so I tried to hide my feelings and act normal as always—"

Gray didn't let her finish and tightened his embrace. "So we're riding on the same boat, huh?"

She looked up to him. "What…?"

"You don't know how much I've been suppressing my growing feelings towards you. And damn, you're always with Natsu so I thought you two were already an item."

"About that…" she said, and then she paused. She did have a reason for that, but she was not about to say it.

"W-we're only friends though. I don't even know if love is on his list of vocabulary." She continued.

"But because of that, being with you on missions was enough for me to be happy. Barging in on your apartment is actually just my way of being alone with you. …and I've always been looking out for you at the sidelines, Lucy."

"I…always went on my way to protect you or rescue you, but heck, that flamebrain Natsu was always one step ahead of me and I admit, it's frustrating. I also know that you occasionally catch me looking at you but it didn't matter. In fact, I wanted you to know. There was one time that I couldn't bear to see you get hurt, and I got really mad and worried. I became completely unaware of myself that it had already been showing on my face ...and Erza took notice of that for the first time. I unconsciously let my guard down at that moment, and she knew what my expression meant. Yes, I do care about everyone, but I care for you more and I could…never be this way to everyone." He continued to say in a low, affectionate growl.

Her eyes widened. "I-I convinced myself that those were just my imaginations since…you interact with me like normal. While I was trying hard to not be _shy_ and interact normally…"

"…I tend to be pretty good at concealing myself."

Then, what Erza said to her was true. Those pieces of strange behaviors that she also had caught really did have special meanings behind them. Now that everything was clear, Lucy felt so happy that she was the one who won the jackpot, out of all the other pretty wizards out there. The one she loved actually loved her back.

"Even so, I couldn't take it anymore so now I gathered up my courage to come here and finally tell you the truth that I've constantly been denying. I didn't care if I would get rejected by you, as long as I wouldn't regret anything…especially that we're about to engage on another dangerous mission. I don't know, I just have a feeling that we wouldn't be together on this…" he added, and he trailed off.

Lucy felt a pang on her chest with regards to Gray's last statement. About them being _"not together."_ She pulled back from his hug and lightly tapped both his cheeks.

"Stop saying things like that! We just affirmed each other's feelings yet here you are, telling some kind of foolish misfortune right after." She said in a joking manner, but she was actually just afraid: Afraid that it felt like it was really bound to happen.

"Y-yeah…you're right. What was I thinking?" Gray answered, a bit edgy, but he quickly smiled. Lucy let out a small laugh. "What a weird time to confess, Gray. You are so late." she teased.

"Tch. Better late than never." He replied with a soft smirk.

He moved closer to her again and held her wrists. "I'm really happy right now. Do you know that?" he said in a sincere, embarrassed tone.

Lucy softly smiled. "You're not the only one who's super happy here." She replied.

* * *

"…that reminds me. Are you really sure about me? I mean, Juvia's getting prettier these days and she always has your attention…" she added, out of curiosity. But actually, she just wanted to confirm something.

Gray sighed. "Why are you trying to push me with Juvia?"

"No, I'm not! It's just…um…well…" she replied as she played with her fingers, her wrists still being held by him.

He let out another sigh. "It seems like you really don't know my type, huh?"

"…?"

"My type of woman includes being brainy and a bookworm with the spirits for writing, and having a kind heart. Cuteness and beauty don't really matter to me. They would eventually appear when you come to love that person anyway. But this time…beauty inside-and-out and brains came together so I feel lucky."

"Well, I'm really not that pretty but why do I still feel like I'm the one you're describing?"

"Because you're exactly my type, Lucy."

Well, that was totally unexpected. Her face flushed, and she couldn't help but bury her face on his chest to hide her embarrassment.

"I can't believe this is happening…" she murmured.

Gray stepped back and held Lucy's face. "You better believe it." he said, as he stared at her intently and tenderly. Slowly, he leaned in closer, both of them blushing. She closed her eyes, already anticipating what was about to happen. His lips finally met hers, sealing their relationship as lovers.

* * *

And so, on the day before they departed for their adventure, Gray scheduled a date with Lucy. Thus, they were strolling around the central town of Magnolia.

"By the way, why did you schedule a date just before the mission? What's gotten into you?" Lucy asked out of the blue.

"Uh, I know. But I'm sorry; I was too _preoccupied _these past days." Gray replied with a nervous laugh.

She chuckled. "What sort of things were you _preoccupied _with?"

"Things…" he said, almost whispering, as he turned his face away.

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Actually, he was busy on how to schedule their first date. He seriously wanted it to be a perfect one, since it was their _first_. He couldn't think of anything nice, so he went to ask for some pieces of advice from other people close to him like Lyon, Erza, and Rufus. But what they all told him was too good to be true. He then resorted to his last option: Natsu, his closest friend. And unexpectedly, his was the best out of all the ones he heard.

"Just go out with her and walk around town. Go to where she likes, eat, talk, and then that's it." Natsu said flatly.

"You really do know a lot about her." Gray commented.

"Yeah. I mean, we're always together."

For the first time, Natsu's words irritated his ears on a different level.

"…hey. Do you have any idea that if you actually went serious about Lucy, you'll win her over?"

"Hah?" Natsu said, his brows furrowed.

"I'm just glad you didn't. …because it even makes me jealous that you were the one who first saw her and brought her to the guild."

"What the hell are you blabbering about?"

"Figure it out yourself, jerk. Thanks anyway." He said with a gentle tap on his back, and then he walked away, leaving Natsu behind, confused.

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Lucy giggled. "It's okay. If it's something you can't tell to others, I understand. You don't have to force yourself."

"…thanks, Lucy."

"Anyway, this is a rare gesture from Gray Fullbuster himself so schedules don't matter. I'd go anywhere and anytime with you." Lucy said, smiling.

The ice mage blushed and looked away, earning another giggle from his woman.

_Damn it. Don't make me fall for you any harder…_ he thought.

* * *

Following Natsu's piece of advice and knowing that she loves books and writing, Gray suggested that they go to the largest bookstore in town.

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" Lucy asked, just to make sure.

"Of course. Why would I suggest something that I wouldn't like?" he suggested with a gentle smirk. Her eyes sparkled.

"Thank you, Gray! I love you!" she said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It caught him by surprise and suddenly, he blushed and quickly covered his mouth to hide his embarrassment. Lucy smiled widely and grabbed his hand, leading the way to the bookstore. Gray's blush intensified while following her.

…_she's so cute._ He thought.

Gray could feel Lucy's overflowing excitement as she scanned every corner of the library.

"Careful, Lucy. You look like you're ready to haul the books in here." He teased.

"I wish I could." Lucy replied in a somewhat hopeful tone.

"You're serious…?"

She giggled. "Of course not. As if all these books would fit in my apartment. My landlady would surely kick me out in no time." she answered.

He chuckled. "It's possible if you're desperate." Gray said with a wink and it made Lucy blush.

"Oh, Gray…"

* * *

After their session at the bookstore, the couple had a hearty lunch and it confirmed how they have opposite choices on food. Lucy preferred the sweet category while Gray was more on the salty category.

Gray smirked sweetly. "I guess opposites really do attract."

Lucy's face flushed in a shade of pink and then she smiled shyly. "I couldn't agree more."

* * *

When they headed out of the restaurant, Lucy couldn't help but comment about something.

"You know, you really have better manners than Natsu." She said, chuckling.

"Of course. Why would you even compare me to that idiot?"

"I'm not comparing. It was just an observation."

"Nice, but would you not mention Natsu when we're alone? I mean…"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Don't tell me you're jealous?" she asked, smirking.

"What if I say yes?"

Lucy fell silent. "Uhm…"

"Say, what if I were to mention Juvia—"

"Don't you even dare." Lucy immediately said, cutting him off.

Now it was his turn to smirk. "See?"

"Okay, I get it!" she replied, pouting.

Gray chortled, and suddenly gave her a peck on her cheek. Blushing, Lucy faced him and she caught him grinning at her naughtily.

"…fine, whatever."

* * *

The day ended with satisfaction from both sides. "I had so much fun being with you today." Lucy said with a cheerful smile as they were heading back to her apartment, their fingers intertwined. Gray wasn't the type to say everything what was on his mind, and he would just answer "Hn." or "Me too.", and that's it. But today, he has been making an exception.

"Aa. Me too. But compared to those many times we were together, I definitely had more fun today because we're finally alone together, for once. I feel so lucky and loved, Lucy." He answered and it quickly made Lucy blush.

"Ugh, Gray. You really are a lady-killer…"

"But you're the only lady I _killed_ that I _revived_." He said softly, tightening his grip on Lucy's hand. Seriously, she was the happiest woman in the world right now.

* * *

They reached Lucy's apartment and neither of them initiated to let go of each other's hand.

"Well…we're here Lucy." He said, breaking off the sudden awkward silence.

"Y-yes…" she replied, and slowly she let go of Gray's hand.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then." She said, sadness evident in her tone.

"Hn."

But as Lucy sluggishly turned around to enter her apartment, a pair of muscular arms grabbed her and hugged from behind. "Gray…" she whispered, and Gray's hug tightened.

"I'll pick you up before we depart." He softly muttered in her ear.

"Yes…"

There was a period of silence.

"I love you…Lucy." He said in a sincere manner, and it was actually the first time she heard him say it. Lucy tried her best to hold back her tears.

"I-I love you too, Gray…!"

They were in that position for a while before Gray made Lucy turn to him, and then the two shared a passionate kiss before they finally bid each other goodbye.

Lucy couldn't help but feel a little strange about what just happened upon entering her apartment. It was only natural for them to do that, but somehow, it felt like Gray was about to go somewhere far, leaving her behind. That was how the hug they had earlier made sense to her. Still, she shook off that feeling and went to sleep, as tomorrow was going to be 'another' big day, and she would be with Gray anyway, as always.

* * *

By all means, Gray came to pick her up and together, they headed to the guild house to meet up with the others, particularly with their teammates: Natsu, Erza, Wendy, Happy and Charle. Once they were there, Natsu and Erza were the first ones to greet them.

"Yo, Lu—" Natsu called out, but he came to a halt.

"You're together?" he asked, with a questioning look.

"What does it look like?" Gray answered sarcastically.

"Hmph." Natsu only replied, then he turned away.

"Never mind him, he's just hungry." Erza said, shifting the mood.

"I am not though. I just ate." Natsu defended, but she hit him in the head.

"Ow! What the hell, Erza?"

And one glare from her was all it took and he quickly sat still. Then, Erza smiled at Lucy and she smiled back, her cheeks tainting pink.

A few moments later, it was Juvia who spotted Gray and Lucy being together. And Lucy could feel Juvia's strong glare on her. And right away, she was suddenly beside her.

"What are you doing, sitting so close with Gray?" she fussed on her ear.

Lucy, trying to be calm, replied in her usual tone. "Um, it's only natural because—"

"We're dating." Gray finished the sentence for her.

"WHAT!?" Juvia shrieked, rising from her seat. But before she could protest, Makarov, Fairy Tail's current guild master, called all of their attention. He re-echoed the plan, gave an inspirational message, and then gave them the go-signal. Team Natsu was the first to head off.

Gray stayed beside Lucy the entire time as they headed towards Tartaros, never letting go of her hand. And once they reached the enemy territory, he instinctively pulled Lucy for a quick but gentle, loving kiss and hugged her.

"We can do this, just like the previous times."

"Y-yes…" Lucy replied, tearfully.

Luckily, the other five just turned to the two of them when they were back to just holding each other's hands.

"Okay, now what's with you two, holding each other's hands the whole time?" Natsu asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

_How dense could this guy be?_ Gray thought, but he just stared at him.

Erza, who was now losing her calm, hit Natsu in the stomach. Lucy sighed; Wendy cringed, while Happy and Charle looked at Natsu apologetically.

"Heh. Serves you right, flame-ass." Gray taunted.

"Sh-shut up, Ice-head." Natsu taunted back, and Happy approached him to see if he's alright.

"…Natsu. They're in love. I hope that answers all your questions, even you're upcoming ones." Erza said firmly, and then she gathered all of them into a group hug, to avoid any unnecessary words and gestures. After that, they stepped inside enemy territory without having anticipated about how strong and "different" their enemies were. Little did they know that they were going to be in a situational pinch.

Eventually, team Natsu was split up by the sudden, calm but berserk attack of Mard Geer, Tartaros' guild master, leaving Lucy with Natsu and Happy, Gray with Erza, and Wendy with Charle.

"LUCY!" Gray screamed, as he held out his hand to her. "Grab my hand!"

"GRAY!" Lucy screamed back and held out her hand too, in hopes she would be able to reach Gray, but failed. The large, countless and vine-like substantial matter that came out of the ground kept growing and ultimately, blocked their view and thus, separating the team.

* * *

At that moment, Lucy felt empty and her knees felt weak; she was about to stumble but Natsu was just in time to catch her.

"You alright, Lucy?" he asked, and she only nodded.

Happy looked at her worriedly, and Natsu huffed a small sigh.

"…I knew there was something going on with you and that Ice-bastard, but I just pretended to give a blind eye about it." He said in a very low voice, almost like talking to the wind.

She quickly turned to him. "What did you just say…?"

"Don't worry. Gray is a skilled ice wizard. He's not just someone who gets down easily. Trust me, and more importantly…_trust him_." He said, ruffling her hair gently.

"Of course…I know that…but what you said earlier was—"

"Ha? I didn't say anything. But maybe I was talking to myself." He said, completely firm, earning him a very confused look from Lucy.

"If you say so…"

"I'll protect you in that Ice-bastard's place, because I'm stronger than him after all." He continued, obviously trying to cheer her up and make her forget he said anything _weak_.

Lucy chuckled softly. "Thank you, Natsu."

Natsu gave her a 'thumbs-up' reaction, and Happy just looked at him, feeling sorry for his best pal.

* * *

But not long after, Happy suddenly screeched. "Natsu! Lucy! I can't move! And look what's—"

and before he could finish, he had turned into something "statue-like". Natsu quickly turned to Lucy, but it was no use because she was caught up by the mini vines that suddenly emerged out of nowhere.

"Lucy, be careful!" he shouted, then he held out his hand. But as she reached for his hand, it was already too late. Natsu had already become a statue as well.

* * *

It seemed like Lucy had lost hope, but then Leo and Virgo abruptly came out o the zodiac world; just in time to help her out from the mini vines. And unfortunately, she was spotted by two Tartaros demons, one of which they defeated earlier, but was now questionably back in action. Eventually, a duel which cannot be avoided between them has begun; but one by one, her zodiacs ran out of energy as she was also running out of mana. Aquarius was currently her last available spirit; and to add to the trouble she was in- she had barely grazed her pursuers, which was impossible because she clearly saw how she wounded them. And after a few observations, she found out that she did inflict damage, but their bodies were able to counter by quickly healing, much to her disappointment.

Nevertheless, she still began to devise more strategies that didn't involve using magic, aside from using her fleu de e'touille. That is, until Aquarius released a vast amount of overflowing water that was enough to at least slow down their opponents to be able to talk to Lucy about the plan that she had in mind.

"Lucy, you know you cannot win against them." Aquarius reminded.

"I know, but what choice do I have? Anyway, I've got to keep trying and work this out somehow."

"No. Use my key."

"Huh? But I'm already using it."

"I'm saying, _break_ my key."

"What do you mean…?" Lucy asked, starting to feel uneasy at what the celestial spirit said.

"Use my key as a sacrifice to summon the Celestial Spirit King."

She was horrified at her suggestion. "What are you saying, Aquarius? You know I can't do that!" she screamed, her tears threatening to fall down at any moment.

"…these guys are not just your normal wizards. You need the King's help, and the only way to do that is…breaking the key of your most trusted celestial spirit." Aquarius said in a firm but sad tone.

Lucy's memories with Aquarius suddenly flooded her mind. "I…I can't do that! No way!" she shrieked, while crying.

Aquarius looked at her with sad eyes but she needed to do some provoking, for her and her guild's sake. "It's the only option available, Lucy. What, do you actually want your friends to die from this spell!? And what about Gray!?"

Lucy quickly looked up at her. "You mean…everyone's…?"

"Yes! I sensed it the moment you summoned me here. You're the only one here alive. And when you won't do something about that annoying demon's power, returning them back to normal would be too late."

Lucy had a twisted expression. "But why am I the only one unaffected?"

"I don't know, but it must have something to do with you being a celestial spirit wizard."

Lucy was dumbfounded. "I…"

But then, their conversation was interrupted by their enemies' voices who were getting closer to them.

"_How dare you let us struggle in this water!" _

"_Give up now, mortal. This water won't stop us from killing you."_

Aquarius immediately faced her master. "Lucy, NOW!" she commanded.

"I can't…! I just can't!" Lucy cried, shaking her head.

"Don't be such a wuss and break my damn key!" Aquarius demanded, but there was a hint of loneliness in her voice. "This doesn't mean I'll be gone for good! I… I'm sure we'll meet again!" she continued, trying to encourage the crying girl.

Lucy, seeing that the enemies were just a few steps away from them and that there really was no other way, suddenly thought of all her guild mates, and most especially, her love - Gray Fullbuster. She looked sadly at Aquarius and then finally, she went for the 'best' yet 'very heart-breaking' decision: using the sacrificial magic. During the process, she was crying loudly that it sounded annoying and that Aquarius would usually hit her head right away, but not today. She was only staring at her, shedding tears as well. Then… her key broke.

_Good job, Lucy_. _Thank you._ She murmured and then she slowly disappeared. Not long after, the Celestial Spirit King was summoned, and it caused the enemies to shiver and halt for a moment. However, Lucy was still crying hard after the summoning, and she didn't care if the villains would kill her right there and then. But before they could, Mard Geer suddenly made an appearance and it shifted the attention to him. _I see…so this girl is a Celestial spirit mage. Interesting._ He thought as he took notice of Lucy.

At any rate, he greeted the Celestial Spirit King.

The celestial spirit king turned to him. "So it was you, causing this ruckus and the reason I was summoned, Underworld king."

Mard Geer smirked. "It's a pleasure that you were invited to join in on my party." He replied with a bit or sarcasm.

"A party of which I don't like." The celestial king answered back, and then turned to Lucy who was still crying and didn't move and inch from her spot.

"I hate that the caretaker of my spirits is hurting, that she had to sacrifice Aquarius. And I hate it even more that I was summoned with the last resort method. I will fight whatever or whoever is the reason behind my displeasure, even if it has to the Underworld king." He warned.

Mard Geer only smirked. "Fine with me."

He prepared himself right away, and before the Celestial King engaged in a battle with him, he granted Lucy a little power that was enough to defend herself from the 'lurking pests' that were still there. Also, he encouraged her by speaking to her through telepathy.

"_Young girl."_

"_Is that you, Celestial Spirit King?"_ Lucy answered, sobbing as she lifted her head.

"_Yes. You look really hurt, but I wish you save that for later and give me a hand on fighting these insects. Do not waste your sacrifice." _

At that moment, Aquarius' 'soul' appeared and she smiled at Lucy. _"You brat. Stop looking like a mess there and get yourself together!"_ she nagged and then at the same time, transformed and engraved herself at Lucy's collarbone area, signifying that she would serve as a weapon for her. That was actually part of the Celestial Spirit King's power, and that made Lucy snap back to reality. She calmed down and became determined.

"You're right. Let's do this, Celestial Spirit King!" she declared, and the king grinned.

"_Atta girl."_ He said and he quickly prepared to land a strike against Mard Geer, while Lucy prepared herself against the two demon freaks.

* * *

The brawl between the two kings and Lucy against the two demons had begun. At first, the celestial king had the upper hand and it seemed like he was really going to defeat the underworld king. But Mard Geer actually had a few tricks under his sleeve which caught the celestial king off guard. It was a rather shameful defeat, but before he was sent back to the spirit world, he gave a parting gift that Mard Geer had no idea about, but he didn't give much thought about it. Lucy felt the Celestial King's disappearance and it disappointed her. _So not even the Celestial Spirit King could defeat the demon master… _she thought. Then, there was a voice in her mind, and it was the celestial king's.

"_I'm sorry, young girl. I think I underestimated the Underworld King. But don't worry, I gave you a present, and it should unwrap by now."_ He said in a hopeful tone.

"_It's okay. Thank you, Celestial Spirit King. And … Please tell Aquarius that I am going to miss her."_

"_Sure."_

Lucy went back to fighting, and she was sure that she inflicted some damage, but with the King's disappearance, her power was getting back to zero, since she borrowed them from him after all. She was already at her limit, and she thought: _We did our best to hold them off, but I guess this is where it ends. I'm sorry, Natsu. Erza. Wendy. Happy. Charle. Everyone…I'm sorry. And…Gray. I'm really sorry._

She collapsed to the ground, her eyes half-open, but still conscious while her enemies were fast approaching. _Everyone… I hope you can forgive me. Gray… I hope you're still out there safe and alive, and know that I really love you._ She thought, at the same time convinced that those were her final thoughts, and she'd be killed seconds from now.

But just before she was hit, someone stood in front of her and the demons that were supposed to kill her had been blast off to a distance. Lucy tried hard to see who her savior was, and it was no other than…Gray. Then, she felt another presence, and it stood beside him. It was Natsu, and after a while, Happy followed.

The king's last words echoed in her mind. _So this must be the gift he was talking about. The spell that Mard Geer cast out on them had been undone._ _Thank you so much, Celestial Spirit King. I owe you a lot._ She thought, smiling.

"Yo, Gray." Natsu greeted in a quiet manner. Gray only looked at him with an empty expression. He turned back and looked down to see Lucy, her worn-out body lying on the ground. He then crouched down and gently held her cheek while looking at her with a sad smile, but his eyes were flickering with adoration and fondness.

"…thank you, Lucy. Leave the rest to us." He said in a low, gentle voice.

A huge amount of happiness and relief welled up inside of her. She only managed to give him a smile, and then she fell unconscious. Gray carried her, then laid her on a safe spot. Natsu asked Happy to stay behind and look after her.

Gray's expression darkened as he stood up. "You ready, Natsu? I'm really itching to kill." he said bluntly but anger was written on his face.

"Yep. Let's continue the amazing show that she started." Natsu replied.

Gray couldn't help but smirk. "It surprises me that you know what happened."

Natsu smirked back. "Of course. It involves her after all."

Gray turned to face him, his eyes twitching.

"No need to look at me like that. She's yours, remember?" Natsu said with a half-smile, while looking straight at a distance.

"…good that you know." He said, then they headed off to where the demons were.

* * *

When they reached the point where the two demons were thrown, they found Gajeel and Laxus, ready to engage in a fight with the two demons. After a brief greeting, Gray and Natsu joined them, signaling the start of another final battle.

After some time of fighting, Gray felt that they were wasting too much time and energy on the two demons, so he suggested that Natsu should go ahead to find the guild master.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll catch up with you later, so don't you lose, flame-brain."

"Of course. And you better hurry up cleaning this mess, ice bastard."

With that, Natsu withdrew from the fight and went off to the where Mard Geer was.

* * *

During the battle with Mard Geer, Natsu was fighting him alone at first, and he had to admit that the demon bastard was strong. Not to mention how weird he was, spouting nonsense about Natsu being E.N.D., Zeref's best demon creation; that Natsu was actually the book he was holding. Though, he didn't pay much attention to what he was saying, since he was more focused on defeating him. However, the demon bastard was one step ahead and gave Natsu a clean hit. But, before he could land another, he was hit by dragon-slaying roar techniques, making him step back a little. Natsu grinned widely at the familiar presence.

"So, you've decided to join in on the fun—Sting, Rogue."

"Of course, Natsu-san. The whole of Fiore is now at stake and we can't leave the entire job to Fairy Tail." Sting answered in a lively manner.

"Hn. Where's Gajeel?' Rogue bluntly asked.

"Still out there beating the asses of that demon jerk's pets." Natsu replied with a small smirk.

"I see."

"So, what about we show this freak how fucked up he is for messing with wizards?" Sting declared.

"Aa! I'm all fired up!" Natsu exclaimed, bumping his fists. The three of them gave Mard Geer a challenging glare, of which he only smirked at. Thus, their anticipated fight began.

But then again, Mard Geer pulled up another one of his tricks and he summoned the late Sabertooth's former master, Gemma. Sting and Rogue were mortified.

Gemma, sensing he was brought back to life and seeing familiar figures, immediately glared at the twin dragon slayers, most especially at Sting. "You bastards better prepare yourselves to be killed." He warned and attacked them straightaway. Natsu was about to join in on the brawl, but Sting and Rogue stopped him.

"We'll handle him, Natsu-san." Sting said.

"You handle that demon." Rogue added.

Natsu grinned. "You sure?"

"Yeah." The two of them answered in unison. "…this matter needs to be settled by us to begin with." Sting continued and Rogue only remained silent.

"OK. Then give him a hard smash on the head!" he cheered.

"You bet!" Sting answered with content, while Rogue gave him a small but confident smile.

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And so, Sting and Rogue were able to defeat their former master, using a newly devised combination attack; the kind of attack which is in their field of expertise. However, they played too much with him that they were already out of energy. In their minds, they apologized to Natsu, because they won't be able to help him.

* * *

Ultimately, when Natsu was at his sudden losing streak, Gray finally came, but he had weird marks on his right arm, which arouse Natsu's curiosity.

"I see you're letting this bastard kick your ass." Gray teased.

"Shut up, Gray! I'm just getting warmed up!" Natsu replied in an irritated tone.

"…what happened to your arm?"

Gray eyed at him, and then lifted his arm. "Oh, this? It's my newly acquired power, passed to me by someone. But it's not just for show. I'm going to finish his life-long mission—no. _Our_ life-long mission with this."

Natsu scowled. "Hah?"

"It's Ice Devil Slayer magic. The perfect magic to kill that bastard…and the ultimate weapon to kill E.N.D." he said coldly.

Natsu perked up at the mention of E.N.D, but as always, he just brushed it off. _Why does he know about E.N.D?_ he thought.

"Eh…nice power you got there." He then commented, in order to shake off the weird feeling he had.

Mard Geer suddenly butted in on their conversation. "Is it possible that you are Silver's son?"

Their attention shifted to him. "Got a problem with that?" Gray answered matter-of-factly.

He smiled. "I always knew there was a traitor among my members, but I never expected it to be Silver Fullbuster."

Natsu's eyes widened. "What!?"

Then he turned to his side to face Gray. "Your father is alive? And he's a member of Tartaros? And now you have his power? The hell is going on?"

"…when we got separated, I happened to cross paths with him, and we fought. At first, I was shocked that he revealed himself as my father. But of course, I wouldn't just let go of anyone who is an enemy of Fairy Tail - even if he claims to be my father. So we still proceeded with the fight. But before I defeated him, he suddenly told me everything about the truth. He worked his ass off, his whole life, sacrificing everything, and even joining this evil guild, just to master this spell. Once he was ready, he'd kill everyone in Tartaros, especially their master, and then head out to find and kill E.N.D., Zeref's strongest demon, who brought misery to our family. And what do you know? He's also connected to Deliora, the demon sealed by Ur which took her life away. He then passed me this power to continue his life goal. So now, my very goal in life is the same with his: to kill E.N.D." He explained in a very serious tone, which unexpectedly scared Natsu for a second.

Mard Geer chuckled. "So that explains why he was always away and only comes back when I call for him. Hmph, I give him my praise for outwitting me… but he deserved what happened to him."

A vein popped out on Gray's head. "You…!"

"I happen to know a lot of information about E.N.D. Though I don't need to explain." He continued to say, cutting him off.

Gray raised an eyebrow at him, and the demon lord laughed sarcastically. "It's very simple actually. What if I say that E.N.D. is actually just beside you?"

Gray's eyes widened and he quickly turned to Natsu, who stiffened at what Mard Geer just declared.

"What the hell? You actually believe that bastard?" Natsu said in disbelief.

Eventually, he slowly looked away. "…of course not. How could an idiot like you be E.N.D.?"

He started activating his other power, while glaring intensely at Mard Geer. "I think it's time we kill you before you start saying more nonsense things."

"Now that's more I like it!" Natsu exclaimed.

Mard Geer let out a mocking laugh. "You don't believe me?"

"Why should I even believe in you?" he said in a piercing tone.

He then brought out the book he had always been keeping, which had 'E.N.D' on its cover. _It's that freaking book again!_ Natsu thought as soon as he showed them.

"How about I do something to this book and see what happens?"

Gray clicked his tongue. "Tsk… you're just wasting our time, aren't you? Enough of this! Let's go, Natsu!"

"Alright!" he exclaimed.

Natsu and Gray played with Mard Geer for a while, before finally resolving to a combination attack: Natsu's dragon-slayer secret art and Gray's unleashing of his ice devil magic. And in no time at all, Mard Geer was defeated.

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Meanwhile, Lucy, who was still lying unconscious, was suddenly dreaming.

She was walking on a familiar battleground, and she realized that it was Tartaros territory. So she briskly walked away, while being careful not to get spotted by a Tartaros fellow. But then, she bumped into a middle-aged man and looked at him. To her surprise, he had a strong resemblance with Gray.

"Huh!?" she exclaimed, and the man chuckled.

"So, you're Gray's woman, huh?"

Lucy blushed. "!...how did you know…?"

The man chuckled again. "I knew it. I caught on these strong and overflowing feelings towards him while I was…_wandering_."

Her blush deepened. "W-well…it's only natural…"

He smiled. "But of course. …please don't tell me you're into books?"

"I am, though…and not just that…I aspire to be a writer…"

The man laughed. "Damn, Gray really got my preferences in choosing women."

"Huh…" She paused. And that's when it hit her. "Don't tell me you're…his father!?"

"Yep."

Lucy suddenly flinched then introduced herself. "Oh! I-I-m sorry! It's really nice to meet you, uncle! My name is Lucy Heartfilia."

"Lucy, huh." He stared at her for a moment, and then he laughed. "You even act just like Mika when she gets embarrassed!" he commented.

"Mika…?"

"Yes. She was my wife."

Her face flushed, and she couldn't think of anything to say. She was overwhelmed by the facts that she had similarities with Gray's mother, and she was talking to his father right now.

"But she didn't like writing, though. She only loved reading." Gray's father continued.

"Oh. So…umm…what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Mind you, this is a dream. And I'm dead now." He said, chuckling.

"What!?"

"Haha. Anyway, my time is running out, so I have to tell you my purpose here."

He cleared his throat, then began talking. "You see, I am a former member of Tartaros, and being a part of this guild gave me the right to master Ice Devil Slaying magic. But I only joined this guild for a certain reason. And that is…when the time comes that I master that power, I would eventually kill them, and then I would sought after E.N.D.. After that, I would find my remaining family, who is my son—Gray. But during my travels, I happened to catch information regarding Gray, and that's where I knew he's currently in a guild called Fairy Tail. Of course, I was happy to know that he was alive. I had planned to see him after I'm done with my _secret mission_. But then, our fate turned out to be different. When I heard that Fairy Tail was in our territory, interfering, I had a hunch that eventually, I'm going to meet him and we will both engage into a fight, which really happened. And well you know, as you can see, I was defeated. I feel ashamed, but happy because he surpassed me. And after that, I gave him my power with a minor condition that he would use that to kill E.N.D..Actually, everyone in the Tartaros guild is considered as 'discarded demons' that Zeref created. But E.N.D is no joke. He is the strongest and most perfect demon created by Zeref."

"…I see. But who is this E.N.D. that you keep on mentioning?"

"… He's a demon who killed my wife and got me separated from Gray. He destroyed my family."

"Oh…I'm sorry…"

"It's alright. All these times, I thought he was dead, but when I had those information about him, I really felt relieved for the first time. And I am thankful that he ended up joining Fairy Tail. And I guess that's where he met you?"

"Yes…"

"O-ho. At any rate, I'm actually worried that he might use that power in the wrong way; that he would be overwhelmed by the truth I told him during our fight. So… I need you to look out after him. I don't want him to end up like me."

"Y-yes! I will definitely do that, uncle!"

"Good girl. Also…tell him to not feel so remorseful. Tell him that I'm sorry I had to say some cruel things. Tell him that I'm sorry I never showed myself to him all these times, and please…don't forget to tell him that even though I didn't get to show him- but as his father, I really do love him." He said in a sincere yet regretful tone. And that pierced her heart.

"Yes! I promise I won't forget to tell him that!" she exclaimed, crying.

"Then, I'm leaving my son to you, Lucy."

"You can count on me…!"

Gray's father smiled at her before disappearing, and then the dream ended.

Happy took notice of how Lucy was crying unconsciously, and he approached her.  
"Lucy…why are you crying? Are you okay…?" he murmured.

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Lucy suddenly woke up, but it was clear that she hasn't recovered. She quickly stood up and prepared to run but Happy stopped her.

"Wait, Lucy! Where are you going? You're very injured, and Wendy still hasn't come to heal you!"

"S-she can heal me later, Happy. Right now, I need to find Gray. I need to tell him something important…!"

"But…"

"I'm sorry, but I really need to go!" she said then ran off, leaving Happy behind.

"Lucy! Waaaiiittt!"

* * *

She continued to run, searching everywhere for that familiar background in her dream. She really had a huge feeling that Gray would be there. Believe it or not, her body was really out-of-bounds and tired; only her strong will and emotions fueling her to move. It's really amazing what love can do.

And finally, she reached the spot and…there stood Gray, in front of a small wooden cross in top of the ground. He was staring down at it with a lonely expression.

_That must be his father's…_she thought, but trailed off.

"Gray…" Lucy softly called out, and he quickly turned to her, surprised to see her there. He then immediately ran to her and held her tight.

"You still haven't recovered! What do you think you're doing here!?" he scolded in a worried manner.

"I know…but I came to tell you something important. I just couldn't ignore it."

"Seriously? Even if that's important, you could've just saved it and tell me when you've gotten enough rest!"

"N-no! It's better if you should know this right away…"

Gray gave out a huge sigh. "Then let's have it. I don't want your efforts go to waste."

"I…I actually met your father."

Gray's eyes widened, and he immediately pulled back to look at her. "You what…?"

"Yes. I saw him in my dream, though…And he told me everything that happened."

"…"

"About that new power of yours. And about this demon called E.N.D."

Still, Gray was silent.

"But the most important thing is that…he said that he wants you to be careful. He doesn't want you to end up being like him. And…from the bottom of his heart, he's sorry for every cruel thing that he told you. He's sorry that he didn't even think about meeting you when he knew you were alive. And…even if he didn't get to show you, but as his father, he really, really, loves you."

And that's when Gray snapped, his expression darkening. Lucy felt a little scared.

"I-I'm sorry…! I didn't mean to meddle on your affairs especially when you did not tell me about it yet; and also it's because of my feelings that he was able to contact me and—"

However, before she could finish, he just grabbed her shoulders tightly, and he instantly pulled her closer to him. He then buried his face on her chest. She felt him whimper, and it broke her heart to see him like that.

"…no, Lucy. I-It's okay. Actually…thank you for telling me right away…" he said with a cracked voice, and soon, tears fell down from his eyes. Lucy felt that, making her cry as well.

Realizing that she was able to convey the request of Gray's father, she felt her physical body get the best of her, but she also felt that Gray still needed her presence, so she fought off her body's demands and stood still, wrapping her arms around him.

* * *

Gray finally calmed down, and slowly let go of Lucy.

"Tsk…that damn old man. Getting ahead of me..." he weakly complained.

She only smiled, as she couldn't fend off her body's cry anymore, and she collapsed, much to Gray's surprise.

"Lucy!" he cried, immediately catching her. He then realized how weak Lucy was in the first place, but still, she managed to find him just to tell him his old man's words. _That man really doesn't know how to be considerate…_ he thought, frowning. But as he looked at Lucy who was resting in his arms, he smiled a little.

"Your feelings for me are that strong that he was able to pick you up, huh?" he mumbled.

"Hn…" the woman in his arms said, as if she heard him say that. Gray was stunned.

"Shit, Lucy. How much more are you going to make me fall in love with you?" He whispered on her ear, but she didn't respond. _Hmm…I guess she's out for real this time._ He thought, as he headed off to the guild's temporary meeting place while carrying her like a princess.

* * *

However, he noticed that her body temperature was changing as he carried her. As he checked on her one more time, she was indeed cold, and it alarmed him.

"Fuck…what's happening!? Lucy, hang in there! I'm taking you to Wendy!" he shouted, running fast towards the meeting place.

As soon as Gray reached the place, Juvia instantly went to him.

"Gray-sama, you're okay!" she exclaimed, but then her cheerful tone vanished as she saw him carrying Lucy.

"What is this!?" she demanded, blocking his way. However, Gray only glared at her.

"Move, Juvia." He said coldly, and she quickly relented to his words.

"Yes…s -sorry, Gray-sama…"

Natsu noticed him and approached him as well. "Gray! What took you so long—"

His greetings trailed off as he saw Lucy, who looked pale. "Lucy! What happened to her!?" he fussed with worry.

"Ugh, shit, I think it's my fault. But let's talk about that later. Where's Wendy?" Gray replied in a frustrated tone.

As soon as he spotted the little sky dragon slayer, Natsu yelled. "She's over there! Come on!"

They immediately went to where Wendy was, and Gray laid her in front of her and asked her to heal her. Wendy checked on her quickly and it made her sweat.

"Oh no…Lucy-san is in grave danger..." She said, then she applied emergency healing right away. It took some time before she stopped, and she let out a huge breath.

"How is she, Wendy…?" Gray asked very worriedly.

"She's fine for now…but if you were a minute late, Gray-san…I-I think…she wouldn't make it. Lucy-san was extremely drained…"

Gray paled. "What…"

Natsu was speechless, but Happy suddenly approached the two wizards and bowed down.

"Natsuuu! Grayyy! I'm really sorry! It's my fault! I couldn't stop her when she ran off!" Happy screamed, crying.

Natsu nodded, having a clear idea of what happened. He then petted him on the head. "It's not your fault, Happy. You still did a good job."

Gray silently proceeded to sit down beside Lucy. He then held his forehead with his elbow on top of his knee, his lips quivering and he cussed.

"Shit…"

* * *

The Tartaros incident had caused a lot of casualties, including the destruction of the Fairy Tail guild house, and was now subject for re-construction. This caused the guild a temporary disbandment; to everyone's dismay, of course. And during those times, Lucy was still unconscious. And for the mean time, everyone went their separate ways. Natsu and Happy went to a "far" land to train, Erza left for a new mission, and the rest is history. And as for Gray and Lucy…

"Make sure you take care of her, Gray." Natsu said before he and Happy went off.

"You don't need to tell me that. Of course I will." Gray replied firmly.

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Gray was with Lucy the whole time at a certain infirmary in Magnolia that was luckily unharmed by the Tartaros incident. He looked at her with concern, as he held her free hand.

"Come on, Lucy…how long do you plan on sleeping?" he murmured, his voice shaking a bit.

After a few moments, Porlyusca entered the room to check on Lucy. Gray stood up and faced her as soon as he felt her presence.

"Porlyusca, when will she wake up?" he asked in an impatient yet sad tone.

"She should be up by now, but I don't know why. Maybe her body has taken more damage than she could handle from the incident."

Gray clicked his tongue.

"If only we didn't get separated, and if I avoided getting turned into a stone…or if my old man didn't have to make her heed an honest request…or if I noticed earlier. Damn it all!" he hissed, closing his fist and slamming it on the table, taking the old medic by surprise.

"It's…not your fault, Gray. Just stay by her side and it'll be fine." Porlyusca said, comforting him. She then noticed some black marks on Gray's right hand.

"What are those marks?"

He looked at his arm. "Oh, these? These came out after I used the new power I acquired from my old man. They haven't disappeared since then."

Porlyusca took his arm. "Let me check, then."

She felt uneasy upon examining it, and so she offered to help him control it instead, much to his gratitude.

"We'll start tomorrow when you come by again." She said, before she went out of the room to get some more medicine.

"Yes, thank you, Porlyusca." He replied, and when she was out of the room, Gray helplessly sat down on the chair. He held Lucy's hand, the one where her guild mark was placed, and lifted it to his forehead. Then, he gripped her hand tightly.

"Lucy…please. Wake up already, for everyone…and for me." He pleaded softly, his tears threatening to fall.

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Lucy's eyes went wide open, and she realized she was at the infirmary. She glanced beside her bed and saw Porlyusca, preparing some medicine. She touched her forehead, then sighed.

"Um…Porylusca-san…?" She called out softly.

"Oh! You're finally awake, Lucy. Thank goodness…" she answered and sighed in relief.

"How long have I been out?"

"Three weeks."

Lucy jolted up from her bed. "What!? Seriously!?"

"Yes. I even thought you already fell into coma. You must have endured a lot during the fight."

She came to a pause. "Oh…I see."

Flashbacks about her last fight came, and what happened with Aquarius. She instantly felt like crying. A familiar feeling also came, when she sort of 'met' Gray's father, and even ran to find Gray, and made her snap back. At the same time, Porlyusca spoke up.

"…by the way. Gray was with you the whole time."

Her heart skipped a beat. "Really…? Where is he now?"

Porlyusca shrugged. "I don't know. He left yesterday without saying anything, except giving me this thing, asking me to give it to you when you wake up."

She looked at what she was holding, and it was the cross pendant that Gray always wore. She instantly extended her hand to get the necklace and held onto it for a while. _But why…?_ She thought. Then suddenly, anxiety was welling up inside of her. The ill feeling she had after their first date came to her and it made her really worried, tightening her grip on the pendant. And that's when something clicked to her. She quickly got up from her bed out of adrenaline fear. She dashed to the door, and it surprised Porlyusca.

"Wait, Lucy! Where are you going? You just woke up and—"

"I'm going to find Gray! I have a bad feeling about this!" she blurted out, teary-eyed.

Porlyusca sighed. "…Just come back after you find him. You still have to drink medicine."

"Yes!" she replied, then ran as fast as she could. However, her body was still recovering, so she wobbled as she was running. But, she was flabbergasted of what she saw. The whole town of Magnolia was in deep construction. Though there were temporary houses and some establishments still operating, it was really different compared to the Magnolia she always lived in. Then, it struck to her that it was probably the outcome of the Tartaros mission. She was relieved that everyone came out fine, but at the same time, worried that something was still off.

_At any rate, I still need to find Gray!_ She screamed in her thoughts. First, she went to her apartment, and luckily, there was no major damage and it was fixed in a short time, according to her landlady.

"Then, did you happen to see a handsome, raven-haired guy who came here?" she asked hurriedly.

"Oh? That hottie who sometimes comes without wearing a shirt?" the landlady said with a flirtatious tone.

"Yes!"

"Aw. Unfortunately, I haven't seen him ever since."

She dashed inside her apartment, ignoring the landlady's rants about her rent. She searched every room, and there was no sign of Gray. She thought of the other possible places he'd be at, and ran off. She went to his house, but it was empty. She went to his hangout places, but still, no Gray was in sight. She was now down to her last option: the guild house. She kept herself positive because she now was sure he would be there, probably brawling with Natsu or having a drink with the others.

_Y-yes, he must've been tired of keeping watch on me all those days, that's why he decided to take some time off and have fun at the guild. Gray…everyone, wait for me! I'm coming!_ She thought, a quick blush running across her face. She couldn't wait to see them, and to see Gray. But, as she reached her destination, she was completely devastated. The Fairy Tail signage was unevenly hanging, and half of the building was covered in hard sheets. There were construction workers preparing their materials. She then decided to approach one of them.

"H-hello, sir. What exactly is happening here?" she asked, her voice shaking a little.

"Oh, this Fairy Tail guild house was severely damaged by the recent _plague_, as the townspeople described. Their master ordered a temporary shutdown on this place for repair purposes."

Her sadness deepened. "I…see. How about the members…? Any information?"

"I'm not really sure…but there were rumors that they went their separate ways. They said that even their master disappeared without a reason."

Lucy's world fell apart. _This couldn't be happening. Somebody please tell me that I'm just having a nightmare._ She thought.

"T-then…how about a guy who is good-looking, has messy raven hair and lean muscles, usually shirtless, and has the Fairy Tail guild mark on the right side of his chest…have you seen him around here by any chance?" she asked, as if she was having her last bet in life.

The guy chuckled a bit, which gave her false hope. "You look desperate, Miss. Is it possible that he's your boyfriend?"

"Yes…"

"Sorry…miss. But we haven't seen anyone who fits your description." The man answered and looked at her apologetically.

At that exact moment, Lucy fell down to her knees, her eyes void of any glow. In short, she was extremely down. _What a way to wake up._ She thought, and went back to the infirmary, looking lifeless.

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"Haven't found him, huh?" Porlyusca asked. Lucy nodded, and the old woman sighed. She then escorted her to sit on the bed, and gave her water to drink first before giving her medicine.

"I also assume you already found out what happened to the guild." She said. Lucy gave her another nod.

She then decided to comfort the poor celestial spirit mage by embracing her lightly. "I know it's hard to accept, child, but all you have to do is wait. I'm sure the guild will be reformed. Gray will surely come back to you too. Who knows? He might be here tomorrow."

"I…hope so." Lucy replied with no enthusiasm at all. Still, she didn't entirely give up. _I haven't checked on Natsu, Erza, or Wendy yet, so there's a chance._ She thought as he forced a smile to herself, then fell asleep, clutching Gray's pendant.

* * *

The next day, she woke up hoping that Gray was already there, sitting on the chair beside her bed, looking at her with a smile. But as she turned to her side, it was empty. No one was there.

_Well, whatever. Maybe he'll be here by evening._ She convinced to herself as she readied and headed off to see her other teammates.

However, she found Natsu and Happy's small house looking dusty, signifying that the house hasn't been occupied for weeks already. Despite that, she noticed a note on their not-so-formal mailbox.

"_Lucy, if you ever visit us, know that we're on a trip while the guild is out. Don't miss me too much and I hope you've recovered completely by then! – Natsu"_

"_Lucy, always take care, okay? – Happy"_

"Those two…" she mumbled, then put the note inside her bag. _Why does it seem okay to them that the guild disbanded just like that…_she thought as she headed next to where Erza was staying.

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"She hasn't come back yet." The landlady simply answered as she asked where Erza was. But, she also found a small note on her door.

"_Lucy, I'm sorry I never got the time to visit you, but I have a feeling you might come here so I made this note. I'm currently on a mission and I don't know when I will finish it. By the way…about what happened to the guild, it's only on temporary hiatus, so don't worry. Just enjoy being with Gray. *wink* Take care. – Erza"_

"Even Erza…" she whispered, then she went to Wendy's.

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"Ah, that little girl and her cat have officially moved out but she didn't tell me where." She said, then she opened her drawer and reached for a note.

"But she told me that if ever a beautiful blonde lady comes by, I should give this. So, here you go." The landlady added, smiling. She then proceeded to read as soon as she got the note.

"_Lucy-san…Charle and I decided to search for 'new purposes', as what she said, but I will always pray for your wellness. I hope you and Gray-san will have a great time together. –Wendy"_

"…oh, Wendy." She murmured to herself, and sighed. Then, an idea popped out on her mind. She immediately went to Gray's place and as expected, no one was there. But she searched every corner to see if he ever left a note, but apparently, there was nothing; much to her disappointment.

Dusk came and she went back to the infirmary, hoping that Gray would be there. Unfortunately, said guy was not. She waited for him until midnight, but he never appeared. She was of course saddened by it and once more, she convinced herself: _"Tomorrow is another day."_ With that, she tucked herself to sleep.

* * *

Days came by and still, no Gray came. By then, she was surely in good shape, so she thanked Porlyusca for taking care of her and decided to go home at her apartment – to do some cleaning and settling fees too. She chaperoned the little lady to the door.

"Are you sure? I don't mind if you stay here longer."

"Yes, thank you anyway, Porlyusca-san."

"…how about Gray?"

Lucy plastered a weak smile on her face. "I…don't know. He'll probably come by when he feels like it. If he comes, please tell him I'm at my apartment already."

She felt sorry for her. "Alright. How about the others?"

"Oh, they went somewhere too."

"I see. Then, please take care of yourself."

"Yes. Thank you again for everything, Porlyusca-san." Lucy said gently and as she went off, she took out Gray's pendant from her pocket and wore it.

Two months passed, and she would still occasionally drop by her teammates' places to check on them, but they still did not come back. And it became a routine for Lucy to drop by at Gray's place every day; just in case he would be there. Also…she never took off his pendant around her neck.

She found a decent job by the way, being the assistant editor of one of the most trusted publishing companies around town. And when she had some time off, she would train to enhance her celestial magic skills. Eight months passed…and she had given up on dropping by.

***PRESENT***

She sighed as she did a recall of the events that passed. It had already been a year and a half since the Tartaros event, since Fairy Tails' dissolution, since her teammates went on a journey, and since…Gray left her.

Yes, left her without any clue at all; except for his pendant. She made a reason on her own that maybe he meant that she just had to wait, but that wasn't enough. She wanted to know where he went. The others gave a note, so why didn't he? And for how _long_ would she wait? During the earlier months, it was really hard for her to accept things. She kept her hopes up that maybe tomorrow, the next day, the next day after that, or next week, or the next week after that, Gray would finally come and see her or she would be able to find him randomly - at his place or somewhere around Magnolia. Yet, Gray never appeared. She really missed him, _a lot_. She had no significant information about him, which led her to think that maybe he left her for good. Or worse, he was now together with Juvia. Thoughts of Gray never left her mind; to the point that at some nights, she kept having the same dreams of him directly leaving her. And when she woke up from those dreams, she always found herself shrieking, with tears on her eyes, cold sweat coming out of her body.

That is, until she made herself busy – forgetting her worries. She also didn't notice how time went by so fast.

She continued walking, and she stopped in front of the resto where they ate on their first date. Her heart stung. She looked away and sighed. She once thought of giving up on him, but right at the moment she was about to do it, she suddenly can't. She would always feel that 'someone' was stopping her. Even the idea of Gray probably moving on made matters worse. She really missed him. She still truly loves Gray Fullbuster, and she can't deny it.

"_Damn it…Gray, where the heck did you go? Did you really leave me…? I wish your necklace was capable of telling me your purpose of giving this to me…"_ she grumbled to herself as she clutched the cross pendant that she always wore, tears forming on her eyes.

As soon as she thought that, a pair of young female wizards passed by and her ears had caught on to their conversation about a certain guild named 'Avatar'.

"I'm planning to join Avatar, Miki."

"Yeah, me too! I heard the guild master was handsome, not to mention _hot_!"

They both squealed, to which Lucy rolled her eyes at. _Joining a guild just because the master is a hot item? Pathetic._

Somehow, the 'handsome' word from the girls struck a string on her heart, and she immediately thought of Gray. Adrenaline rushed throughout her body. Naturally, her boyfriend was certainly popular to all girls and he was indeed handsome. But this was different. She was panicking, at the same time, nervous and excited at the possibility of Gray being the master of the said guild. But then, she shook her head. _No, it's not possible._ She thought, then she calmed herself down.

Her eyes darted on the public bulletin as she resumed walking, and a job request was there, and only wizards could read what was written, as it was skipped by normal people who took on jobs from there. The job required any wizard, regardless of being in a guild or not, to be of 'service' to Avatar. _Again, it's that Avatar thing…is this a calling that I should check this out?_

She contemplated for a moment, and finally, she grabbed the request and went to the mage council office to get approval. But then, the council raised an eyebrow at her as she presented the request.

* * *

"Sorry miss, we didn't post this. Also, the writings are different. It's clearly not one of ours." The council guard said flatly, until a much more level-headed female member of the council appeared and grabbed the request from him.

"Sorry about him, he's not in the mood today."

"I-it's fine…" Lucy replied, a bit perplexed.

"…so they secretly put this on the public bulletin, huh?" she mumbled under her breath.

"Hmm?"

"…Oh, it's actually good that you managed to read this, which means you're no ordinary wizard. Which guild are you from?"

"Fairy Tail."

"That's great then…! May we ask you to do a little more _close-up_ investigation? Actually, we've been keeping an eye on this Avatar guild…and we feel that they are up to something fishy."

"Well then, I'll take on the job."

"Wow, so nice of you to accept our request immediately."

"It's no big deal. I'm actually curious of what kind of guild it is too."

"Okay! Then we'll give you the directions we managed to get while secretly checking on them."

* * *

The first thing Lucy did was to gather public information regarding 'Avatar'. But, almost all the answers she got were the same, that it's a 'brand new guild'. Still, she continued to seek for more correct answers. Finally, there was one wizard who gave her a good answer.

"Avatar? Oh yeah! I just came from there, but one of their members told me that they weren't in need of additional wizards yet. What they needed were temporary maids that would clean the place first."

_What the…? Additional? And…maids?_

"Oh…I see. Thank you for telling me."

"No problem. I couldn't take on the job, obviously. Are you going to apply?"

"Uh…yeah. It might be a good opportunity for me to enhance my housekeeping skills…" she said, trying not to sound fake.

"Ow, okay. Good luck then!" he said, then bid her goodbye. Lucy sighed.

_What a really weird guild. It seriously needs to be checked on._

She was still standing there, organizing her thoughts when a red-haired girl suddenly bumped into her. She looked uneasy.

"I-I'm sorry!" the girl shrieked.

"I'm fine… More importantly, are you okay?" Lucy asked.

"I-I need to run…!"

"Run from what?"

"Avatar…" she whispered. That was one clue Lucy needed to know, so she didn't let the girl go easily.

"Why are you running away from Avatar?"

"I-if you're planning to go there, you better not. B-because…they are a cult! Worshipping someone called Zeref!"

"…how did you know?"

"I applied as a maid there, and I thought I was just going to clean the place. But then, after doing some cleaning on my first day, I decided to have a rest on my room. But then I noticed my room was open, and then I peeked and caught one of the members there, putting something on my drink and mumbling the words 'You will support this cult in the name of Zeref'…! After that, I got scared and ran away, but I think one of the big guys there noticed me and now I think I'm being followed…! Ugghh, I better go…!" she cried out and ran fearfully.

* * *

Lucy stood there, trying to assess the mess she's about to encounter. _Can I actually do this alone?_

She trembled at the thought, but she still went on her way to Avatar. This time, she was wearing an actual maid outfit to avoid raising suspicion. She also wore gloves to hide her guild mark. She made sure to hide her keys and her whip. And even if she didn't want to, she had to remove the cross necklace she always treasured ever since.

She reached her destination, which was located at Mikage forest. It was really creepy, and as she stood in front of the guild's door, she suddenly felt nervous, at the same time…excited.

_What am I thinking? Am I really hoping that Gray is here? Fat chance, Lucy._ She thought, and it only made her mood worse. Her thoughts were interrupted, however, by the presence of someone big behind her.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" a low voice asked aggressively, and it made Lucy turn her head to his direction. That someone scrutinized her, making her raise a hand for a greeting. _Act normal, act innocent._

"Hey there! I heard about your guild looking for temporary maids! I would like to apply – as you can see, I'm already prepared to get the job done—"

The thick-browed Avatar wizard cut her off. "Come inside."

Lucy obediently followed him and led her to the main table, where a pink-haired girl was sitting, reading something.

"Mary, a _maid_ applicant." He called out, and the girl looked up to see Lucy.

"Oh, a pretty one! And prepared, too! Come, come." She gestured, and let her sit on the bench beside her.

"Okay, miss. I'm going to interview you—"

All of a sudden, an explosion had caught their attention, and the thick-browed wizard and Mary quickly readied themselves to pursue the intruder.

"I'm sorry, Miss. But could you please write in this sheet of paper first about yourself? I'll come back to you later." Mary instructed as she handed a sheet of paper to Lucy.

"Mary! Let's go!" the male wizard demanded.

"Yes, coming, Gomon-san!" she answered.

_What now!?_ Lucy thought, as she slowly and secretly followed the two Avatar wizards behind their backs. As Gomon and Mary separated on the hallway, Lucy decided to head straight and for a moment, she saw something pink that ran fast across at the end of the straight hallway where she was headed to. She couldn't help but be familiar at the figure. She then quickly followed, but came to a halt when she heard him speak.

"Yo, Gray! Long time no see."

* * *

It felt like time stopped around Lucy. _Natsu…? And…Gray…?_

Mixed emotions were running inside of her, as she slowly continued to follow where she heard Natsu's voice and stood still behind the wall, just beside the doorway. She decided to eavesdrop first, because there was no mistake about it. That was definitely Natsu.

"What the hell, I haven't seen you for a long time, and I hear you becoming a part of this so-called Avatar guild, and even volunteering to become their master?" Natsu ridiculously greeted, grinning weirdly.

Gray only stared at him, then gave him a half-smile. "You really have big ears, huh? Amazing how you sneaked in here without getting your ass caught."

Natsu scoffed. "Spill it. What's the big idea?"

Gray smirked. "After all this time, you're still a blockhead. Very well. I'll explain it in simpler terms for your sake."

Natsu grimaced, and Gray's facial expression turned 'insanely' serious.

"Our guild, Avatar, is actually a cult that aims to master the Black Arts and we worship Zeref. We have a goal of conquering the world in his name."

Veins began popping out of Natsu's head due to overwhelming anger.

"Have you really become this evil, Gray!? Is this what you really are? What about us? What about Fairy Tail!?" he asked in a very frustrated tone.

Gray looked at him with a dull expression. He then slowly took his jacket off, revealing his black marks that had spread out over the right side of his chest which crept up to his cheek. His Fairy Tail sign was no longer there; it was covered by the black scar and replaced by the Avatar guild mark sign.

"Fairy Tail is long gone, Natsu. And…I _never_ thought of it as my family. To be honest, I never even considered you my friend. You were actually fucking annoying, you know that? Here at Avatar, I found my purpose in life. This is where I belong." He said coldly, which caused Natsu to go berserk.

"…is this because of that new power of yours?" he asked, still trying to subdue his pure rage. Gray's expression didn't change.

"Who knows?" he said casually, and Natsu leaped up to him for a direct hit, which caught him by surprise.

"**GRAY!**"

* * *

Lucy, who was just behind the wall, stood there in silence, and in total disbelief. She didn't know what to do anymore. She thought of the past, the memories they all had; their memories together, and the promise she made to his father. She never felt real pain until now. She completely failed him. He really did turn in the wrong direction, and if only she was able to find him that day. IF ONLY she woke up earlier. Damn_._

And just because of bodily instincts, she decided to show herself to them.

Natsu was just a second away from hitting Gray in the face, until he was halted by a familiar voice.

"Was…that all…true?"

The two wizards shifted their eyes to where the voice came from, and Natsu quickly stopped his punch and jumped back, landing on the floor. His eyes widened. "Lucy…?"

And for a moment, Gray's face expressed shock and…_longing_. But immediately, he reverted back to being deadpan. Natsu quickly ran to her.

"Lucy…it's really you!" he exclaimed. However, she didn't give him any reaction. She was entirely focused on Gray, who was still just standing there, staring at them emptily. His hair was slicked back. The black marks were visible. His features changed. Sure, he was indeed fucking handsome in that look, but that wasn't the Gray she knew. That wasn't the Gray whom she loved with all her heart.

Gray remained silent, but for a split-second, Lucy saw his eyes flicker with sadness, but they were quickly back to being seriously deadpan.

"…you heard us, right? Everything is true."

Lucy's expression hardened. "Then…what about us?" she asked, her voice shaking. Gray didn't answer for a while, then he sighed.

"You're still clinging on to that? I didn't know you were this stupid, Lucy. It's been a long time, and I've moved on. Now that I think about it, it was actually senseless of me to fall in love with you." He replied coldly.

At the same time, a woman with long, light blue hair and a whip of hair covering her forehead came out from behind Gray, and sexily put her hand on his shoulder, then leaned her head on it as well.

"You should move on too, blondie. I'm the one he's meant to be with, and you were just his past time." she taunted in a flirty manner.

"Briar…" Gray greeted, then he responded by sliding his arm on her waist.

_Wait a minute…if Lucy doesn't have any idea about this…then…? Gray left her...all this time?_ Natsu thought, as he watched them exchange words. He even remembered his 'warning' to Gray before they left for training, and it made his blood boil even more.

"Gray…I thought I said you didn't need me to remind you?" Natsu interjected with a low, demanding voice.

"And you really believed I would?" Gray said with a bit of sarcasm.

"Then…I am going to steal her from you!"

Gray raised an eyebrow at him. "Go ahead, then. What, you're actually trying to threaten me?"

"**YOU JERK!**" Natsu suddenly shouted, flaring up. He was about to attack Gray again, but Lucy stopped him.

Natsu looked at her, bewildered. "Lucy…? Why?"

Lucy didn't answer, but her expression darkened. She slowly walked towards Gray, and he only stared at her. Once she was within his reach, she removed her glove which revealed her Fairy Tail mark. Her hand was really trembling, but not long after, she gave Gray an extremely hard slap on his face that echoed throughout the entire room.

Gray could've avoided that, or he could've just stopped her hand when she raised it. But strangely, he opted to take on the damage.

"How dare you—" Briar shrieked, about to hit Lucy, but Gray stopped her. He even glared at her, much to her surprise.

He then closed his eyes for a bit, as he rubbed on his cheek which really stung. He opened his eyes, only to witness that Lucy was crying non-stop, and she gritted her teeth.

"How heartless of you to say that Fairy Tail is not your family…! I can't believe I continued to love you all this time…ugh…**YOU FUCKING BASTARD!**" she yelled at him, then shoved something on his chest, making Gray wince. She quickly turned back in an attempt to run away, but unfortunately, she was caught by Gomon, and Mary had Natsu in her arms, unconscious.

"Let go of me, you thick-browed bonehead!" she shouted as she continued to struggle in his arms. She turned to Natsu, then glared at Mary who was wearing an annoying smile.

"You bitch! What are you smiling there for!? What'd you do to Natsu? Let him go!"

Mary gasped in an obviously fake manner. "Oh my, I didn't expect a maid applicant to be this rude!" she commented nonchalantly.

"I knew this girl wasn't just a maid to begin with." Gomon commented as well.

Finally, Lucy got tired of struggling, and Gray ordered Gomon and Mary to put them in jail for the mean time.

"FUCK YOU, GRAY! GO TO HELL, YOU ASSHOLE!" Lucy screamed, as they were being dragged to jail.

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Gray sighed. He then crouched down to see what she shoved, and it stunned him.

"This is…my cross pendant. The one that I…" he mumbled regretfully as he picked it up and held it tightly.

"What is that? A memento from her?" Briar mockingly asked.

"…none of your business." He replied coldly, then he looked up at her, who was still holding his shoulder. He shot her a piercing glare.

"What do you think you're doing? Get your hands off of me." He said in a callous tone, and Briar immediately obeyed.

"Wow, chill Gray. You even slid a hand on my waist-"

"That was just to get through the situation."

"If you say so…"

"Why are you here?"

"I merely just passed by, and I figured you needed my help to make that blondie realize you really hate her."

Again, he glared at her and clicked his tongue hardly. "Shut that mouth of yours, if you don't want to die right here and now." He said coldly, and the room's temperature suddenly dropped.

"O-okay, I'm sorry! I'll get back to the lake, then." Briar replied nervously, and then she dashed to the exit.

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After some time, Natsu woke up to find himself in a cell and beside him was Lucy, whose face was covered by her bangs, making it hard to read her expression. He quickly stood up and banged on the jail bars. "Hey Gray! You Icehead! Stop being a coward and fight me! Don't tell me you're actually cowering in fear after that slap? And by the way, you deserve that! Jerk!" Natsu shouted.

But after some more shouting and attempting to break the jail bars, he finally got tired and gave up. He then sat down beside Lucy again.

"I'm sorry I let my guard down earlier. Now we're stuck here in this stinky jail." He said, trying to strike a conversation with Lucy. Lucy just nodded, and Natsu stared at her.

It really hurt him to see Lucy like that, and he couldn't take it any further. He pulled her to a hug—a comforting hug. Her eyes widened.

"Sorry, but I can't look at you like this anymore. If you want to cry, then cry. If you want to scream, then scream. Share your pain with me."

But, at that moment, Lucy didn't really feel like crying. She was actually mad, mad at herself for falling in love with a bastard like Gray. And yet, she was also mad at herself that she had failed his father.

"Damn it all!" she shouted, still in Natsu's arms.

"…and about what I said earlier…I'm serious. I'm going to steal you from Gray. He doesn't deserve you. I promise to treat you better."

Lucy couldn't believe what she was hearing. _Natsu? Natsu was really going to steal her from him?_

"I…I've always loved you Lucy. But it was too late when I realized it. When I was ready to confess, Gray got ahead of me. It really hurts, you know. But as long as you are happy, then I'm happy. That's why I couldn't believe this. Gray left you, didn't he?"

Lucy didn't answer, but Natsu knew it was a yes. "That bastard…"

"If you would give me a chance—"

Natsu was cut off by the sudden loud footsteps that were heading to their cell. They immediately went to alert mode, with Lucy behind Natsu.

The footsteps were revealed to be from Gomon, and…Gray. Natsu scowled.

"So? You're up for a battle?" he asked with a glare.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but no." Gray bluntly replied.

"We're going to extract information on that girl so we would know what her purpose was. As for you, it was clear that your intention was Gray, but we won't let you have him."

"Shut up. If you even dare to touch Lucy, I'm going to roast you to ashes." Natsu threatened. However, Gomon didn't mind and he was about to perform his magic, but all of a sudden, Gomon was frozen; which left Natsu and Lucy a bit…surprised. It was Gray who froze him from behind.

"I won't let you touch _my_ Lucy again." He warned, surprising the two wizards inside the cell.

"What…the fuck?" Natsu blurted out, confused. Lucy just stared at him with astonishment.

* * *

Gray took something out of his coat, which looked like a lacrima ball and said: "The infiltration plan is ruined."

"Hah?" Natsu continued to blurt out. Gray then gave him the lacrima ball, and Natsu received it. Then, a familiar voice came from it.

"Natsu? Are you there?"

His jaw dropped. "Erza!?"

Upon the mention of Erza's name, Lucy perked up and went to Natsu, and she saw the lacrima ball as well.

"Erza…! Is that you?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Oh, Lucy! You're there too! Then, might as well start my long explanation." Erza replied.

Lucy glanced at Gray, who was outside the jail bars, and she caught him looking at her. His hair was now down, the black marks were gone and his Fairy Tail guild mark sign was there. She also noticed that he was wearing his pendant, the pendant she shoved him earlier. She then looked away in confusion, and decided to listen to Erza first, who was talking through the lacrima ball. Gray leaned his back on the wall, and looked down at the floor with a sad expression. _Damn. Why did it have to end up this way…?_ He thought.

"Jellal requested me to do an investigation about the Avatar guild to see if they really have any connections with Zeref. It was supposed to be Crime Sorciere's job, but they can't touch this matter due to unsettled affairs with the Council. However, I wasn't finished with my mission at that time so I asked for Gray's help, who was luckily available. I told him to go and act like he wanted to be with them and at the same time, find out what they were actually planning. The problem was his disguise. He then mentioned something about his black marks that appeared after using his new power. Apparently, while he was with Lucy, Porlyusca taught him on how to control those marks, and it came in handy. Thus, his new appearance you saw earlier. And by the way, this was a secret mission so I asked Gray to not mention this to anyone, even to you, Lucy. I hope this clears all the misunderstanding. And I'm sorry. Natsu, hand this back to Gray."

Natsu then handed the lacrima ball back to Gray.

"You know what to do, Gray." Erza commanded.

"Yeah." He said, then hid the ball.

Natsu gave Gray an apologetic grin. "You damn Icehead. So this was all an act. But wait, could it still be that—"

Gray sighed. "Of course not, you flame brain. I sensed that those three were nearby so I had no choice but to bluff."

He looked at Lucy, and she avoided his gaze.

"I see." Natsu replied enthusiastically.

"…Natsu, how about you? Were you actually serious about what you said?" Gray asked in a slightly worried tone.

"Yeah, I was. I actually confessed to her a while ago."

"You what!?"

"Relax. She didn't give me the words, but I already know what her answer is."

Lucy flinched at his statement. "Natsu…"

"Man, it hurts!" he said jokingly, but then he turned serious.

"I will forgive you this time…but if you forget my warning to you on that day again, I will really steal her from you. Got that?"

Gray's eyes widened for a moment, and then he sighed in relief. "I won't ever forget." He said, smiling. And Lucy just stood there, having no idea of what warning they were talking about. Then, he proceeded on telling them the plan.

* * *

After the discussion, Natsu's ears twitched.

"Man, that was a long lecture!" he complained.

Gray smirked. "I hope that brain of yours digested my words well."

"Heh. I hope so too." Natsu replied, grinning, and initiated a bro-fist. "Ice head, I thought you've totally gone insane back there."

Gray gave him a half-smile. "If you only knew how I wanted to kill myself after saying those." He replied, responding to his bro-fist.

Lucy spoke up after a while. "…You better get back, before they find you suspicious, Gray."

Gray couldn't hold back anymore and went inside the cell. He pulled her into a short hug, and whispered in her ear. "I'm really sorry about everything, Lucy. We need to talk, but we'll do that after everything's done."

He pulled back, then he went out of the cell and headed back to the main hall. Lucy didn't respond- only, she was blushing hard. It was just a brief moment, but it made her emotions and feelings go wild. It really had been a while since she had a close contact with Gray. That was the clear evidence that Natsu needed for the answer he knew, so he stepped back and decided to never press on that matter again.

* * *

Finally, after waiting for about an hour, they heard a loud "bang" and that was the signal. They rushed out of the cell and went outside to meet up with Gray. And soon, they headed towards the lake just a few meters away from Mikage forest, where the guild nestled. They were about to go and stop the ongoing "Operation Purify' led by the other Avatar members who weren't at the guild house.

"Gray, has your cover been blown?" Lucy asked on a whim, much to his surprise.

"Yeah…Mary found out what I did to Gomon. She was about to inform the others, but I defeated her right away before words would reach this lake."

"That's great then…" Lucy replied with a small smile, and somehow, it really made Gray feel relieved. _I hope she's not that angry with me anymore…_ he thought.

As they approached the area, Gray was the first one to move forward, catching the attention of the wizards there.

"Gray? What brings you here?" Abel asked, moving towards him, but as soon as he got close to him, Gray froze him easily. Jerome and Briar grimaced.

"W-what was that for?" Briar asked in a slightly frustrated tone.

"It' just as what you witnessed." He replied, as he prepared to unleash his ice magic, his marks disappearing.

"What!?" I thought—"

"Sorry. I got you fooled." He quickly launched an attack, and Briar barely missed it.

"I told you we couldn't trust him! But you fell for his looks!" Jerome fussed.

"S-shut up!" she hissed, and Gray just launched another attack at them.

Jerome engaged on a fight with Natsu, while Lucy was helping on the sides, to whoever needed a little help with her newly gained power: the Star dresses.

Without so much effort, Natsu and Lucy defeated Jerome, then Lucy went to help Gray, and they both defeated Briar. But before she completely lost her consciousness, she asked him one question that bugged her just now. "So your plan on killing E.N.D. was just talk after all…?"

Gray paused for a moment. "No, I really do plan to keep that in mind, but my father wouldn't like it if I use my power with your ways."

"Hmph, I see. But you know…I really _like_ you."

Gray looked at her, his face deadpan. "Sorry, but I only love one woman. And that woman is right here." He pulled Lucy by the arm as he said that, and Briar only stared at her.

"No wonder you were so defensive about her…"

"Took you long enough to notice, huh?"

She sighed in defeat, and ultimately, she lost her consciousness.

* * *

Lucy only blushed at his remarks, but deep inside, she was really happy. _Uncle…looks like I didn't fail you…_she thought, then she smiled at Gray, who quickly looked away, suddenly feeling embarrassed. It had been a while since he saw that smile of hers, which he really loved.

From a distance, the sound of a major brawl echoed and all of them smirked.

"That's probably Erza, smothering the 2000 cultists who were ordered to practice black magic." Gray commented.

Natsu grinned. "No doubt about it!"

Lucy chuckled, and as she was about to grin too, she was suddenly held hostage by another Avatar member who kept himself hidden all this time. She yelped, garnering their attention.

"Lucy!" Natsu and Gray said in unison. Gray glared at her captor.

"D-6." He grumbled.

"I sensed that this woman was special to you." He teased.

Gray raised an eyebrow. "_Was, you say?_"

"Yeah. So how about letting me torture her first and I'll forgive you for what you did to our members, then we'll continue our plans?" he said, asking for a deal.

Gray clicked his tongue, and his expression darkened. Lucy was still struggling, but D-6's grip on her was too strong. Still, she had a plan in mind, but before she could execute it, her captor was already killed.

The black mark reappeared and he shot D-6 with his ice devil-slaying magic, which was the cause of his instant death. His eyes were still blazing with anger.

"_You dare mess with me?"_ he said in a spiteful way, and it gave Lucy the shivers.

"G-gray…calm down…" she said as she looked at him, and Natsu slapped his back with full force. It seemed to wake Gray up, and he slowly withdrew his black mark.

"What the…" he blurted out, as he saw the bloody D-6 on the ground. He then approached Lucy, and he apologized.

* * *

At the same time, Erza came and she smiled at them. "Great job, everyone."

She looked at the lifeless Avatar member, and frowned. "Who…killed him?"

"It was me." Gray said in a sad tone.

"I thought I told you to not kill any Avatar mage?"

"I gave in to my anger…and then…that happened."

"The dude provoked him, and it involved Lucy, that's why." Natsu added, trying to defend Gray.

Erza sighed. "…Oh well, there's nothing we can do."

She then noticed how Gray was sadly staring at Lucy, and she immediately took that hint.

"Natsu! Drag those three unsconscious wizards and come with me." she commanded.

"Where are we taking them?" he asked.

"We'll surrender them to the Council. By the way, Wendy, Gajeel and Levy are with them." She replied.

"Woah! Okay! It's been a while since I've seen that Iron-eating bastard!" Natsu said happily as he proceeded to carry the three.

Lucy was about to follow, but Gray grabbed her arm. She turned to him and he gave her a look that said _"We'll stay behind. We should talk."_ Lucy gave in and she was about to ask Erza for permission but she was one step ahead.

"You two follow later. Looks like you have a lot of things to patch up. And I'm sorry too, Lucy. I didn't know you were still unconscious that time and-"

"…It's okay, Erza. Thank you." Lucy replied with a small smile.

* * *

Gray, still holding Lucy's wrist, led her to the nearby lake. He first sat down and he gestured her to do the same thing. She did as what she was told. Gray heaved a sigh, and stared at the lake.

"So…how have you been doing?"

Lucy just flinched; she didn't answer. Gray clasped his own hands, and he lowered his head. "Seriously…what I said back there were all lies. I had to in front of them. I've always thought of Fairy Tail as my family and I could never, ever bring myself to hate you…" he said with a cracked voice.

Lucy whimpered, and it made him look at her quickly. She then looked back at him, straight in the eye, for the first time since their recent encounter. Her tears started to form.

"I know… You really wouldn't dare to badmouth Fairy Tail."

"Lucy…"

"And I'm happy that those were only made-up, for the sake of your secret mission…but at the same time, it scared me. Though, it really hurt…most especially because…you left me."

Gray's eyes widened.

"You left me… without any _solid_ clue! Sure, you gave me your pendant, but I don't know what you really meant. And I had to give myself a reason that maybe you wanted me to wait. But that was uncertain. For how long would I wait for you? Giving me your pendant had so many possible meanings! And most of them were just…what I'm afraid of. I waited for you every day, and dropped by your house to check on you, just in case. But you never appeared, and it occurred to me that maybe you left me for good…! It even haunted me in my dreams, and there was a time I even thought of giving up—" she blurted out, and cried right after.

Gray, who looked at her with a pained expression and listened to her break down, couldn't take it anymore and pulled Lucy into a tight embrace.

"…but I couldn't. It felt like someone was stopping me, so I continued to wait for you and I hopelessly clung onto this pendant of yours…" she continued, still sobbing as she touched the pendant he was now wearing. Gray bit his lip.

"And when I finally found you…that happened. It really sounded real, Gray. I even thought that I failed your father. And I'm even scared that us, talking right now might just be an illusion and—"

"Sshh…!" Gray stopped her, and he tightened his hug a little more. He then buried his face on the side of her neck. An awkward silence enveloped them for some time, until Lucy broke it.

"…what took you so long?"

"…they were unexpectedly critical. It took me such a long time to gain their trust. In fact, I just only knew what they were secretly up to just a few weeks ago."

"I see…"

They stayed in that position for a while, until Gray pulled back and held Lucy's shoulders, making her look at him in the eye. She suddenly felt the overflowing love and affection that he had for her as she stared into his eyes, which was completely empty back at that stony room just hours ago.

"I love you Lucy…so much that I've been longing for you every day. So much that I felt guilty for leaving you when you were still unconscious, when you still needed me. So much that I felt guilty about not thinking of the consequences when I accepted the job from Erza. Actually, she even offered that if I wasn't available, she would contact someone else, but the jerk inside me surfaced and I still accepted the job. I love you so much that I felt guilty about just giving my pendant to you, knowing that it was of course not enough, and I should've really left a note to make sure of the reason why I gave it to you. I love you Lucy…so much that I really wanted to punch myself for not using my free time wisely…that I should have used that time to sneak out and go to see you, but then if I went to see you, I might abandon the mission and make matters more complicated. Because I know that once I get to see you, it'll really be hard to leave. And I'm really, really sorry that I had to say hurtful words…it was really painful to see you cry after saying things I don't mean at all."

Lucy nodded, her tears streaming down on her face. _That was a first from him, saying 'I love you' consistently._

He paused, then he resumed talking. "And when Natsu said he was going to steal you from me, it made me go crazy inside, almost breaking the perfect façade I worked so hard just to make them believe that I was still on their side. I didn't want the plan I had been keeping to be instantly exposed, so I fought back with sarcasm. I seriously wanted to freeze the entire world at that exact moment, if you only knew. Natsu wasn't the only one who went berserk. I did too, but I kept it inside. And please…don't you ever blame yourself. Don't you ever say that you failed my old man, because you didn't. You even did more than that – you even had to risk your life… Honestly…! I almost lost you _again_, Lucy! And if that happened, I don't know what I would do with my life."

"Again…?"

"Remember…during the Grand Magic Games? When Minerva was still a bitch and tortured you?"

"Oh…that…"

"Yeah…I swear I was ready to interfere and pummel her to pieces…yet I couldn't just because of the damn game rules. When she finally released you, Natsu and I went to your rescue."

"I never knew, Gray…"

"I was overwhelmed by worry to even talk about what happened. I just wanted you to recover right away. I didn't want to talk about it either."

Lucy fell silent, but Gray continued speaking up his mind. "And to be honest…I got impatient about you not waking up for days…and maybe, part of this was why I chose to accept the job…"

"But I…I woke up just after the day you left, Gray…"

"Damn. Damn it! I am such a bastard!" he hissed, but Lucy pulled him into a hug.

"Enough, Gray. I've heard everything. It's okay now, and I'm sorry too…"

He didn't answer, but he returned her hug tightly. After a while, they pulled back, and then they smiled at each other.

"I missed you so much, Lucy. I swear." Gray said, locking eyes with her.

She smiled. "I missed you too…"

Seeming to not get enough of Lucy, he hugged her once again and gently stroked her hair, to which she responded by hugging him back.

* * *

"Now that we've cleared everything…we better join the others." She suggested, but as she stood up, Gray pulled her to his lap, chuckling naughtily.

"We haven't been together for a long time, and you won't even give me a single kiss?" he teased in a low, lustful growl.

Lucy's face reddened. "W-wha—"

And before she could finish, Gray drew his face close to hers, and gave her a tender-loving kiss on the lips, to which she responded quickly anyway.

As they walked back to meet the others, their fingers were interlocked.

"Lucy…" Gray said in an unsure voice.

"Yes?"

"Natsu said he confessed to you. Did he really…?"

"Yes, he did."

"What did you feel…?"

"I was surprised of course…but…I was too hurt to even talk and know what to say properly. But then, when we knew the truth behind your actions…I quickly knew what answer to give him."

"So…you were actually going to give him a chance?"

"Not exactly…but it really depends."

Gray did a face-palm. "Shit…I was really that close to losing you."

"You won't, though."

"But you didn't tell him your answer yet, right?"

"Yes. And he said he already knew, so there was no need to tell him. Natsu isn't actually as dense as we think he is."

"Huh?"

"Yes. He knew all along."

Gray sighed, but smiled in relief after. "Thank you…Lucy. Still, it makes me jealous that Natsu was the one who met you first and-"

Lucy cut him off, giggling. "But at least you got to meet me, right?"

Gray smiled at her again, and then he leaned down and gave her a quick, meaningful kiss.

"Yeah." He answered, and she smiled back at him.

"Which reminds me…what was the warning you two were talking about?"

"Oh…that. It's a promise between men, so I won't tell you."

"Ehh?"

"Yeah…and I definitely have no plans of forgetting that warning." Gray affirmed in a serious tone.

* * *

"Still…that was the hardest slap I had ever received in my whole life." Gray suddenly teased.

Lucy flinched. "I-I'm sorry about that! That was because—"

"And damn, that was my first time hearing you cuss so badly!"  
"O-of course I know how to cuss. I just don't usually blurt it out in public…but that time was just too much…so…"

Gray chuckled, and then he looked at her, smirking. "Forgiven. At least I got to see you in a maid outfit~"

Lucy's face flushed. "Ugh…stop it, Gray."

"You looked really cute in that outfit, you know." He continued, grinning widely.

"Gray…! I feel so embarrassed already…" she complained, as their grip on each other's hands only tightened.

***END***

Afterword

Yes, I finally did it! Really, it took me a week to finish this _one-shot_!

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope I was able to spark the GrayLu feelings in your heart~

P.S. I cringed a bit at the fluff romantic scenes I wrote when I re-read this. What the fuck, right? Maybe I would really stay single my whole life and just support anime OTPs so I won't forget how it feels to be in love LMAO


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